Posted on Sun, Aug 29, 2010
As mentioned in " How to Develop a Workplace Safety Messages Campaign" Part 1, marketing is the key to getting your safety messages heard and understood.
But how does the ordinary safety professional instigate a marketing campaign to educate staff about safety initiatives?
Let's do some Marketing 101 lessons, to look at the steps you need to undertake to deliver your marketing (oops, safety) strategy.
- Who is your audience? You need to work out who your target audience is and their demographics. Are they mainly males 35 - 55 years? Or a combination of both males and females, but aged 15 - 25 years? By working out exactly who your audience is, you can better work out the types of communication they are more likely to watch, read and hear.
- What are your objectives? What are you trying to achieve? How can you measure the success of the communication program? What data can you measure both before and after the launch of the new safety campaign?
- What is your message? What is it that you want to say? If it is to raise awareness about safe forklift driving, why do you need to let people know about this. Ensure that you let people know what the safety initiative is and why it is important. How can you ensure all departments have the same consistent message?
- What communication methods can you use? Ideally, use multiple types of communication and deliver it multiple times. Put together a strategy as to how you can communicate the same safety messages daily, weekly or monthly.
Let's take a look at an example.
Gypsum Board Manufacturers of Australasia (GBMA) needed a manual handling training program to train 3,000 workers from five different companies on how to handle plasterboard safely. In the plasterboard industry, manual handling injuries are the most common of injuries.
The training program was treated as a marketing exercise. An iconic plasterboard man was designed who featured on all of the communication. A slogan was also created "Move it - The GBMA Way". Both the iconic man and the slogan were a way of reminding workers on a daily basis about the training they had received. Training centred around a 20 minute training video that also included medical animations to show how the back works. A trainer's manual, PowerPoint Slides and employee handbook were used for training. The employee handbook was A6 size to encourage workers to keep in pockets or lockers for easy reference. Posters were also designed with the same theme as a daily reminder.
"The training material components were key in engaging roles such as Team Leaders to deliver the training to their teams effectively. One of the keys to getting engagement with the safety messages on a daily basis has been the handbooks and posters to prompt training information.". Gerard Crosswell, GIB NZ
Effective safety communication needs to be very specific to your organisation and tailored to your workplace demographics and culture.
It must integrate with a company’s day to day activities and be of value to the workers watching it. Slick communication materials are not the answer.
Care needs to be taken so that communication materials are credible and easy to understand.
But more importantly, any safety communication needs to provide daily reminders to staff while they work, for the best results.
How can you best communicate your new safety initiatives?
Posted on Wed, Aug 25, 2010
It’s smart for companies to be worried about staff training videos and how to tackle them correctly. There are so many choices. Quite frequently, training videos are produced that just don’t get used. Now, working out what components to include in your training video just got easier.
Melbourne, Australia (August 26, 2010) – Digicast Productions, a training video production house, today released the “Best Practice Guide: How to Produce Staff Training Videos that get Results”. Developing the right training video for your company isn't easy. This guide is a useful resource for anyone involved in the challenging and complex task of producing a company training video that performs.
In this 4 page guide, discover:
- The key components required for the best induction training program
- The causes of a poor performing training video
- Issues to avoid during the production of a training video
This guide is suitable for anyone wishing to produce a company training video that will be used for many years. It is a companion guide for the Training Video Buyer's Kit.
For a complete copy of the kit, visit http://info.digicast.com.au/best-practice-guide-to-training-videos
About Digicast Productions
Established in 1991, Digicast is an Australian vendor of customised safety and induction training videos. Thousands of people each year worldwide are trained with Digicast training videos. For more information, visit Digicast at www.digicast.com.au or The Workplace Improver blog for training tips.
Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au
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Posted on Sun, Aug 22, 2010
The main objective of any safety communication is to change behaviour.
But how does a safety or human resources professional change attitudes towards safety or improve the way people undertake procedures?
How can the safety manager deliver a message that motivates employees, supervisors and administrators to think and act safely?
Advertise your message
The secret - marketing. You need to advertise your messages.
According to Wikipedia, advertising is a form of communication intended to persuade an audience to purchase or take some action upon products, ideals, or services. Advertising can change the values, attitudes, and actions of those who see or hear the message.
Think television commercials. Advertising is a billion dollar industry focused on changing consumers' habits and beliefs. And while it is true that television might not be as effective as it used to be, this is only because fewer people are watching it now. Nevertheless, Government organisations like WorkSafe and VicRoads have used television commercials to successfully change our behaviours and attitudes towards workplace safety and road safety respectively.
Advertising informs and reinforces the need for safe practices. But advertisers know that you just can't say your product is the best. Likewise with safety, you can't say your company believes in safety and leave it at that.
Cutting through the Clutter
Through the course of a day, people are constantly bombarded with marketing messages. Estimates vary from around 150 - 5,000 messages per day (personally, I believe it is realistically around 1,000).
Successful ad campaigns have to compete with many other goods and service to grab the attention of people. In advertising speak, it's important to "cut through the clutter" and get what is known as "top of mind" awareness. If you think soft drink and your first thought is Coca Cola, then Coca Cola is top of mind for you when it comes to soft drink.
Your safety messages also need to cut through the clutter and be top of mind. As a safety professional, your communication messages compete with messages from the production manager pushing for better productivity and co-workers fooling around. And then there are messages from home that you have to compete with such as family issues, money problems, Facebook and other advertising .
In order to market safety messages, it's time that safety professionals started to think like marketers. And this might be hard, as let's face it, they are a strange group to more linear thinkers like engineers. However, let's put on our marketing caps and find out how they try to get into our brain.
Key advertising tactics to consider for marketing safety are:
- Consistent, clear messaging (includes branding) – Always promote the same standarized safety message and ensure that all departments are aligned with the message and do not send out conflicting information (eg: safety officer tells people to work safely and cautiously, but production manager pushes for speed).
- Consequences of poor safety - One of they key messages is to get employees really understand that poor safety behaviour puts their health and safety at risk, but also other employees, contractors and customers. Let them know what effect this will have on the personal life and how it will effect their family.
- Multiple message placement - This means you have a consistent safety message or theme and you repeat it in multiple places. It is like the glue that holds these tactics together and is essential in successful advertising. In advertising campaigns, it is believed that people need to be exposed to a television ad six times before they will absorb the message. This is why frequency of message equals success in the advertising campaign.
Most safety training programs fall short when it comes to frequency of message. Yet, there are many simple and cost effective ways to do this.
By getting workers to engage in your safety message in different ways (watching it, hearing it, reading it), supervisors can better ensure that more workers receive it. Different communication methods include a training video that is supplemented with matching posters, email newsletter campaigns, key rings, employee handbooks and toolbox talks.
But how do you develop workplace safety communication? Read How to Develop a Workplace Safety Messages Campaign (Part 2)
Posted on Tue, Aug 10, 2010
It’s smart for companies to be worried about staff and customer training videos and how to tackle them correctly. There are so many choices. Quite frequently, training videos are produced that just don’t get watched. Now making the right decision has just got easier.
Melbourne, Australia (August 11, 2010) – Digicast Productions, a training video production house, today released the “Training Video Buyer’s Kit”. Developing the right training video for your company isn't easy. Nor is choosing the right company to help you. This kit is a useful resource for anyone involved in the challenging and complex task of deciding upon producing a staff or customer training video and then how to go about it.
Using a four step process the buyer kit includes:
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A list of questions to decide whether or not a training video is right for an organisation.
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The critical questions to determine what the training video needs to achieve, in order to write the brief and how to best manage the project internally.
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A valuable checklist to evaluate the suitability of a video production house.
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An additional checklist to measure the effectiveness of training videos already produced by production houses.
For a complete copy of the kit, visit http://info.digicast.com.au/things-you-need-to-know-before-buying-a-customised-training-video
About Digicast Productions
Established in 1991, Digicast is an Australian vendor of customised safety and induction training videos. Thousands of people each year worldwide are trained with Digicast training videos. For more information, visit Digicast at www.digicast.com.au or The Workplace Improver blog for training tips, www.digicast.com.au/blog.
Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au
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Posted on Sun, Jul 25, 2010
Getting Training Messages to stick can be Tricky. This New Report reveals the Key Factors behind Successful Staff Induction Training and how to implement them.
Melbourne, Australia (July 26,2010) – Digicast Productions, a safety and induction training video production house, today released a new white paper “Optimising Induction Training: Reduce Costs, Improve Quality and Talent Retention”. Around the world, many companies train new starters and contractors ineffectively often finding it difficult to get training messages to stick inside people’s heads. This paper outlines the impact of poor induction training, the high cost of face to face training and the growing importance of including visuals in training materials.
Eighty-three percent (83%) of human learning occurs visually, yet the majority of companies produce text based induction training materials that have a 10% effectiveness rate on recall levels.
Smart organisations who regularly need to train contractors and new staff are looking for a more streamlined, engaging and cost effective way to ensure staff absorb training messages.
This exclusive white paper addresses the various pitfalls of a poorly designed induction training process and what can be done about it. The report looks at:
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What current induction training programs are really costing companies
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The importance of avoiding a poor safety culture
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The emerging trend of using more visuals in communication
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How to make training messages sticky
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A little mistake that cost a Quarry $20,000 a year
For a complete copy of the whitepaper, download it now.
About Digicast Productions
Established in 1991, Digicast is an Australian vendor of customised safety and induction training videos. Thousands of people each year worldwide are trained with Digicast training videos. For more information, visit Digicast or The Workplace Improver blog for training tips.
Contact Marie-Claire Ross
Digicast Productions
+ 61 3 9696-4400
mc@digicast.com.au
###
Posted on Mon, Jul 19, 2010
1. Use more Visuals - 83% of human learning occurs visually. Use lots of photos, videos, diagrams and colour to present training information. Avoid relying heavily on text based training. After all, we only recall 10% of what we read compared to 50% for what we both see and hear.
2. Tell Stories - During training, tell stories of exemplary staff behaviour that typify the type of action you want staff to do. Stories help people make emotional connections.
3. Lead by Values - Let staff/contractors know what your values are. Using values, empowers workers to make decisions based on company values. Difficult for staff to make the right decisions if they only have rules to follow.
4. Positivise it - Remove negative language. Tell people how you want them to behave, rather than telling them what you don't want. Remove words such as 'no', 'can't and 'don't'.
5. Involve senior management - Senior management play an integral leadership role in establishing culture. Effective leadership whether it be concerning safety, a new sales method or business structure must be led from the top. They must be involved in the induction process.
6. Reduce complication - Get rid of long sentences, jargon and big words in training materials. Keep it short and tweet.
'Words are how we think, story is about how we link’ Christina Baldwin
7. Ask more why questions - Teach people why they need to do something, so they can always figure out the how. Otherwise, company processes keep getting perpetuated without people ever questioning why they do something.
Posted on Tue, Jun 29, 2010
A recent UK survey by National Accident Helpline found that over a third of people questioned who suffer work accidents or injuries in the workplace have not had health and safety inductions.
The telephone survey of 121 claimants found that 42 respondents (35%) had not been given a health and safety induction when they joined their workplace.
Beth Powell, National Accident Helpline consumer director, said: “This result shows that UK organisations still need to improve the way that they look after their staff’s safety at work and a health and safety induction for all new starters would be a key step towards this.
“More than 15,000 people a year contact National Accident Helpline after work accidents. Many of these would be avoidable with appropriate safety equipment, training and supervision.”
A health and safety induction typically includes information on duty of care, site rules, manual handling and other relevant safety information to that organisation.
In Australia, while we haven't undertaken the same research study as the National Accident Helpline to compare the results, a recent study by Safe Work Australia found a similar finding. That being: part time workers are injured at a rate of 74 injuries per million hours worked versus 35 for fulltime workers.
Jarrod Moran from the ACTU blamed “less induction, less training and supervision” as the reasons for the high injury rates for part time workers.
Poor inductions undervalue the importance of safety.
And according to Professor Patrick Hudson, companies lose 10% of their turnover as a result of poor safety, costing billions in lost production and flow-on effects.
So how can companies improve their induction process? Ensure it is undertaken regularly and that it is systemizd with a customised training video.
Given that educational researchers have found that 83% of human learning occurs visually, a custom made training video is an ideal way to get important information understood quickly and effortlessly. It will also save training time and dollars.
You can find out how a well known steel manufacturer reduced their training time and improved their training outcome, here.
Posted on Sun, May 30, 2010
Those of you who have read my posts know that I'm a big fans of telling stories to indoctrinate staff and contractors (see Telling Stories to improve Company Inductions).
In his book Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership, Harvard professor Howard Gardner wrote, "leaders achieve effectiveness largely through the stories they relate. Stories must in some way help the audience/team members to think through who they are and frame future opinions".
One of the best ways to induct new staff is for senior managers to be involved and to be seen getting involved.
The ex-CEO of Virgin Blue airlines, Brett Godfrey, would always turn up to staff induction training to introduce himself.
And while it is important for senior managers to introduce themselves and welcome new starters, they also need to talk about legendary company stories. It's a great way to improve the safety culture, customer service and pride in the company. Also, particularly useful for welcoming staff from a new merger/acquisition.
'Words are how we think, story is about how we link' Christina Baldwin
But what if the senior manager can't be there? What if the CEO is unable to welcome the 20 new staff who start every month across different sites in Australia?
Film them!
It's a surprisingly simple, but effective way for new staff to know who the senior staff member is and to feel like they know them. It also saves the CEO or Executive General Manager a lot of time.
We have filmed many senior managers welcoming new starters and giving their own personal introductions. It's warm, funny and believable. And it's a great way to start an induction training video.
Posted on Wed, May 05, 2010
Over the last three years, online video has become one of the fastest growing web trends due to the widespread availability of broadband and YouTube. In fact, one of the most widely used search terms are "how to..." videos.
Now, more than ever before, there are hungry online audiences using video to educate themselves in their own homes.
And for good reason.
Everyone likes Pictures :-P
In 2000, research by Gunter et al found that learners more easily understand and recall new material presented in video that allows participants to both see and hear the information. This dual-encoding process reinforces information in multiple brain areas which increases the chances of the information being stored in long term memory.
While studies by educational researchers have found that 83% of human learning occurs visually. Visually rich information keeps the brain busy and alert to learn more information.
You can't see me
And videos can go where trainers can't. It's fairly difficult to visualise how the back works and what happens when you lift incorrectly. But clear medical animations can inform the user of how their spine works and what happens when they damage it.
When Trainers go Bad
Training videos also offer consistent training. When different training facilitators are involved confusion can arise when they teach different processes. In fact, inconsistent training is common within organisations, with around 54% stating that onboarding is inconsistent within their organisation. Imagine what effect this has on productivity.
"I need more time"
When it comes to training, often trainers are overwhelmed by the amount of time they spend training and inducting face to face. The truth is it doesn't have to be this way. By converting repetitive training tasks into easy to understand training video modules, the trainer can be relieved of repetitive training tasks. And they can then spend time doing more important things like managing your site or taking the afternoon off to play golf.
You seem so Credible
Compared to written training materials, training videos actually increase comprehension and retention of subject matter by a staggeringly high 51%. They actually command the attention of the viewer and motivate them to learn more. But more importantly, they are perceived as more persuasive and credible than training materials which tend to be viewed as less important in comparison.
Here's a test. The next time you have to induct a contractor tell them that you need to sit down with them and read through your training manual. After they curse and groan, smile and say, "actually, how about you watch our induction video with a small quiz?" They will love you for life. Or until the end of their shift.
Reduce Training Time
But the best part about training videos are that they teach information in around 50 - 75% of the time as an instructor. And if you get an expertly produced training video made, expect productivity to increase also. So if you are undertaking 45 minute inductions reducing the induction time to 12 minutes is about average. Think about the cost savings to the trainer's time and the new starter's time. The cost benefits can be quite enormous depending upon the amount of inductions your company does.
Posted on Thu, Apr 15, 2010
LearnX Asia Pacific 2010 recognizes Digicast Productions as producing induction training videos that are like gold.
We are very excited to be given a gold award for the induction training video we created for our wonderful client Conundrum Holdings.
The reasons we won were because of the amazing time/cost benefits we have saved Conundrum, as well as providing higher quality training.
Since the induction video was introduced at Conundrum Holdings, Conundrum's induction training has been re-invigorated and they now get praise for their induction system whereas before they mostly got grumbles.
“We continuously aim to improve the safety and productivity at our quarry sites. Now
that we have a quality training tool that can be incorporated into our site induction
process, it has reduced the time to train staff/contractors by 68%. A major benefit has
been the saving to management time which is saving us around 2.5 hours a week or about
$20,000 a year. Site managers now have more time to get on with the task of actually
managing the sites. But more importantly, it still ensures that the inductions are of a
consistently high standard and we no longer get complaints from contractors about
having to sit through another dull site induction”.
Tom Kerr, OHS Manager/Quality Assurance Manager, Conundrum Holdings
Thanks to LearnX and Conundrum for this Award.
You can read more about how we helped Conundrum, here.